Foodstirs

In the Kitchen with Lily Nichols

For young chef Lily Nichols, memories in the kitchen revolve around her family.

“When I was younger, my sister painted a step stool with my name in cursive,” Lily says. “I remember putting that next to my MomMom (Lily’s Grandmother) or my Mom, and I would just set it right beside them and cut or stir.”

If she wasn’t directly helping in the kitchen, Lily would always be observing her Mom and Grandmother in the kitchen, learning new skills and techniques, or having perhaps the most important job of licking the spoon.

Fast forward a couple of years to 2014, and Lily’s Mom and Grandmother were right by her side as she was entering the Chopped kitchen in Chelsea Market. While cooking in the Chopped kitchen, 11-year-old Lily was on her own to battle it out against the other three contestants. When Lily came out of the Chopped kitchen, she held the title of Youngest Chopped Champion.

Although Lily had to take on the Chopped kitchen without the direct guidance of her family, her entire family’s spirit was with her throughout the competition. Her Mom helped her prepare for the competition by going into the kitchen and selecting four random ingredients. She’d then set the timer and Lily would start cooking. During the competition, Lily even made one of her family’s recipes, her MomMom’s Meatballs.

Perhaps the most important thing that drove Lily throughout the intensity of Chopped was her Father’s spirit. Before Lily auditioned for Chopped, her Father had suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI), forcing him to be hospitalized. With tears in her eyes, she explained this to the Chopped judges. When Lily brought the news of her success on the show to her father, she knew he was thrilled for her even though he couldn’t speak. Only three days after the show’s taping, Lily’s father passed away. Since losing her Father, Lily and her family have started raising awareness for TBI through an organization that they have named Nichols Family Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness.

While Lily has certainly been through a lot despite being only 12 years old, she knows how important it is to enjoy her childhood. Chopped judge Alexandra Guarnaschelli gave her a wonderful piece of advice while she was on the show that Lily carries with her every day: make sure that you are living your life and being the 12-year-old kid that you are, and not worrying so much about the future.

While Lily continues to enjoy cooking and baking in her free time, she also plays soccer, and participates in track and field, and cheerleading. When talking to her about any of these subjects, you can hear in her voice how passionate she is about each and every one of them. Lily’s advice for remaining passionate about anything you do, no matter how old you are is simple: “Do what you love. Stick to what you love. If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Lily’s Raspberry Reduction (created by taste)

1. Place some fresh raspberries in a small pot on the stove. Add a small amount of sugar and fresh juice from an orange.
2. Stir together and cook down to a liquid.
3. Strain the liquid, and let cool.
4. Pour the mixture over the crepe with some fresh berries and a sprig of mint. For an added garnish, dust with powdered sugar.

~Text by Jessica Schuster